What has DYW achieved? Since its launch in 2014, DYW has successfully reduced youth unemployment, increased the number of school leavers entering positive destinations, expanded employer involvement in education, and boosted vocational qualifications among young people. These results highlight the power of employers and business having a central role to prepare young people for meaningful employment. DYW was born out of the Wood Commission’s 2014 report, which identified significant gaps in how Scotland’s young workforce was being prepared for future employment. A striking challenge at the outset was that fewer than 30% of Scottish businesses engaged with education. 10 years of impact Today, DYW boasts 20 regional employer-led groups covering the whole of Scotland. These groups, supported by over 200 volunteer employers in DYW's leadership roles, have driven employer-led career activities in schools. In the 2023/2024 financial year alone, the groups had connected close to 6000 unique employers, delivering over 14,000 employer led activities, resulting in cross sector engagement reaching over 400,000 young people. This financial year, we expect to reach over 450,000 young people, of which roughly 20% are young people with protected characteristics or at risk of not progressing to a positive destination*. Youth unemployment was a significant concern in 2014, with an unemployment rate of 18.8 per cent among young people. The initiative has made substantial strides in addressing this issue, with focused efforts, since the launch of DYW and through the development of Scotland's Young Person’s Guarantee, on creating more employment opportunities for young people and improving their readiness for the job market. The headline target to reduce youth unemployment (excluding those in full-time education) by 40% by 2021 was achieved in 2017. The data reported by Scottish Government in June 2024, remains around this mark showing youth unemployment estimated at 10 per cent. Scotland's most recent published initial Positive Destinations were 95.9%, which drops to 92.8% when looking at how this is sustained. How young people sustain destinations continues to be a focus for the system. Employer leadership at the core Employers play a pivotal role in DYW’s success. Foundation Apprenticeships, introduced in 2016, exemplify this collaboration by combining classroom learning with real-world experience. Hundreds of employers now mentor learners, host workplace placements, and lead industry challenges, making vocational education a cornerstone of Scotland’s workforce preparation. DYW National Employer Forum Chair Sandy Begbie highlights the initiative’s impact: ‘DYW Regional Employer led groups and teams, along with the introduction of a DYW Coordinator in every state secondary school in Scotland in 2020, have made it easier for employers to engage in education in a meaningful way. We are seeing enhanced employer led experiences that bring the curriculum to life, provide insight and inspiration, and help develop life and work relevant skills for young people. Over the last 10 years, there have been significant shifts in how industry takes a lead role in developments in our education and skills system. This collaborative approach, which has weathered the storm of economic challenges through the pandemic, continues to provide a strong employer leadership voice through reform and delivers positive impact towards the priorities of Scottish Government of eradicating child poverty and growing the economy yet with youth unemployment remaining stubborn at around 10%, and continued disparity in positive destinations and employment figures for young people facing additional barriers, the work of DYW continues to be of vital importance.’ DYW asks all employers to get involved in the 10 year celebrations, find out how you can get involved here. * unpublished data from DYW Regional Groups Stay up to date on all the latest DYW news by following us on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. For more information on how to get involved, visit our employer hub or find your local DYW Regional Group.
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